26 September 2018, his Beatitude Metropolitan of all America and Canada Tikhon addressed a pastoral letter to the clergy, monastics and all the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America in connection with the recent events concerning the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, according to patriarhiei.
Expressing deepest concern about the situation, Metropolitan Tikhon recalled that many parishes of the Orthodox Church in America has suffered because of painful Church history and divisions that exist in Ukraine for more than a dozen years. “In recent years, along with the ecclesiastical division of the country is riven and violent geopolitical conflict, and our Church has repeatedly called to pray for the healing of the separation, and the peaceful and fair settlement of the conflict”, — said His Beatitude.
The message of Metropolitan Tikhon also stated that the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America was informed about the initiatives of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to find possible ways to resolve the painful situation. The Synod also noted the various pre-reaction of other Orthodox Churches. “In particular, with sorrow, though with understanding, we accepted the decision of the Moscow Patriarchate to stop the commemoration of the Ecumenical Patriarch at the divine service and to suspend the concelebration at the level of bishops and participation of the hierarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate in the activities at the inter-Orthodox level,” stated his Beatitude Metropolitan.
“We understand the pain and trauma causes people to the Orthodox Church split that reduces the importance of the Orthodox witness and the preaching of the gospel in society. Pain and trauma — a wound from which Orthodox believers in Ukraine suffer for decades. The split, division and mutual antagonism is not only a canonical problem. They represent a pastoral and spiritual challenges, which required the healing power of Christ and the Christian faith,” testified the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.
Speaking about the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in Ukraine, his Beatitude Tikhon, said: “We have taken careful note addressed to the local Autocephalous Churches of the call of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church “imbued with an understanding of our common responsibility for the fate of the world Orthodoxy and to initiate fraternal pan-Orthodox discussion of the ecclesiastical situation in Ukraine.”
Metropolitan Tikhon also said that the Orthodox Church in America supports the idea of the need for dialogue at all levels and on a regular basis. “The Holy Synod of bishops of the Orthodox Church in America <…> calls upon all Local Churches to undertake efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis through the convening of the pan-Orthodox Synaxis, or by similar conciliar process, which can be found the true solution to this problem. We are ready to participate in mass discussions and consider the situation for our fall session,” — said in a message to His Beatitude.
Turning to the clergy, monastics and all the faithful of the Orthodox Church in America Metropolitan Tikhon called upon “to lend support to his Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of all the hierarchs, clergy, monastics and laity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and to pray for them fervent prayers”.
“May God grant and the chief shepherd Jesus Christ by the inspiration of the Holy spirit — Comforter and spirit of Truth — of the wisdom, peace and humility, that the existing in Ukraine problems were resolved and that all workers in unity, sent his forces and turned his attention to the only true mission of the Church — the proclamation to the world the gospel of Jesus Christ,” concluded in his message, the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America.